The average rent for students in Newcastle is 3pc above the national average, at £54 per week, according to a student accommodation website.

Jesmond, Fenham, Heaton and Sandyford are the most popular student locations in Newcastle, according to www.accommodation forstudents.com, which has just released its latest research into the nationwide cost of rented student accommodation - based on 14,000 properties in 54 university locations across the UK.

In Middlesbrough the average rent is £34 per week.

William Berry, co-founder and director of Accommodation for Students, said: "With the Government's policy change in regard to tuition fees becoming a major new factor in the cost of being a full-time student in the future, the price of accommodation will increasingly be a major cost consideration in students' selection of which universities they will attend.

"We may well see students choosing universities based on the cost of accommodation as much as curricular availability or academic reputation."